Some came ready to run. Others planned to walk every step of the 8.4 kilometres. But every single one of them showed up — and that's the part we're most proud of.
The Day Itself
Southern Cross Round the Bays is New Zealand's largest fun run series, and the Auckland event lived up to its reputation. The flat coastal course wound its way along one of the city's most spectacular waterfronts, with Rangitoto sitting steady on the horizon and the energy of tens of thousands of participants carrying everyone forward.
The event has always championed inclusion — whether you run, jog, walk or roll — and that spirit was everywhere on the course. Families, workmates, community groups, seasoned runners and first-timers all sharing the same road and the same goal: to get to the finish line together.
Our Fresh & Clean team embodied exactly that. No one was left behind. Faster runners cheered on those still on their way. Tired legs were met with encouragement. And when the finish line finally came into view, the smiles said everything that needed to be said.
No one was left behind. Faster runners cheered on those still on their way. Tired legs were met with encouragement.
After crossing the finish line, the team came together for a well-earned BBQ — rehydrating, sharing stories from the course, and celebrating the effort it took just to get to the start line in the first place.
A Full Circle Moment
What made this year's Round the Bays particularly special wasn't just the 8.4 kilometres. It was what the event meant for us as a company.
Cast your mind back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Acid wash jeans were in. Big, frizzy hair was in. And so, it turns out, was our team at Round the Bays Auckland.
Our Heritage
Back then, we weren't called Alsco Uniforms New Zealand. We were NZTS, New Zealand Textile Services, and we were regulars at this very event.
In 1998, the Steiner family acquired NZTS and the business became Alsco New Zealand — eventually growing into the Alsco Uniforms New Zealand you know today: operating eight processing plants, 14 depots, and serving more than 43,000 customers across the country.
The brand evolved. The name changed. But looking back at those old photos from the NZTS days, grainy, joyful, unmistakably us — it's clear that something essential never changed at all.
Returning to Round the Bays in 2026 felt like more than a team fitness challenge. It was a nod to our heritage, and a reminder that while decades have passed and our name is different, our commitment to our people and our community is exactly the same as it always was.
Why We Showed Up
Round the Bays is more than a fun run. The event actively fundraises for charities across New Zealand, with the Mental Health Foundation of NZ leading the charge as the top supported charity across all three cities in the 2026 series.
That's something we care about deeply at Alsco Uniforms New Zealand. Our values have always centred on creating a safe, enriching workplace for our 916 employees — because we know that when people feel supported, connected and well, everything else follows. Round the Bays, with its focus on inclusion, community, and hauora, reflects those same values back to us.
Getting 28 Fresh & Clean team members out together at a run on a Sunday morning wasn't just a good thing for fitness. It's good for connecting with each other and community, for culture, and for building the kind of team spirit that makes a workplace somewhere people are genuinely proud to be part of.
Ka Pai, Team
To every one of the 28 Fresh & Clean team members who showed up on Sunday 8 March — whether you ran the whole thing, walked every step, or somewhere in between — this one's for you.
You represented Fresh & Clean and Alsco Uniforms New Zealand with pride, and you did something our NZTS team did decades before you: you showed up for each other and for your community.
While styles may change, getting involved as a team never goes out of fashion.
We'll see you at the bays again next year. 💙
